Princess and the Pauper: My view behind the scenes
by popalot
Summary: This is just a fun behind the scenes view to Barbie Princess and the Pauper. This is what I think might have happened. Please Read and Review. Mattel own everything.
1. Chapter 1

Annaliese was sitting at her desk analyzing some jewels and rocks her tutor had given her. She was supposes to analyze and tell him what she thought they were when he came back the next day. She was looking at the rock in her hand, when a knock broke through her reverie.

"Um, Come in." she called, wondering who would be here at this time. Her tutor came walking through the door. "Julian." She said surprised. Then with a smile she began "I classify this as iron pyrite. Commonly known as Fool's Gold." She looked up at him and smiled again. Julian gave a slight smile but she could see the sadness in his eyes.

"Well done, Your Highness." He said with a slight bow. Annaliese looked at him confused.

"Your Highness? It's just me." She and Julian had been friends for a long time and had long since dropped the formalities.

"It seems the Ambassador has arrived with a gift for you." She saw him force a smile but the sadness never left his eyes.

"The Ambassador? " She asked confused. "He's here already?" Julian nodded his head.

"Your mother asked for your presence in the throne room" Annaliese looked from Julian to her desk then back to Julian. She stood up and took a deep breath.

"Very well." She said with a small nod. She headed out the door with Julian right behind her. They walked in silence till they got to the throne room. She stopped and took another deep breath. Julian looked at her and smiled.

"It will be okay." He whispered. She nodded her head.

"I'm ready." Julian nodded.

"Princess Annaliese, Your Highness." He said as he bowed. Annaliese walked through the door. As she walked through the room She noticed a man, that was quite round, a page boy, Preminger, the queen's advisor, and of course, her mother. Annaliese walked to her mother and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Annaliese, this is Ambassador Bismark." Queen Guinevere gestured to the round man. He bowed. She curtsied slightly to him. Her attention was then drawn to the page boy. He bowed deeply to her. The queen and the Ambassador began talking. The page turned his attention to their conversation giving her a chance to really look at him. He was about Julian's height and age she guessed. He had toned skin from being outside alot. He also had piercing blue eyes. She looked at Julian and found him staring at her. Their eyes locked for a moment. She saw the uncertainty the lingered there. She then nodded to the page as if to ask Julian to start talking to him. Julian nodded and headed toward the page. She smiled as she watched Julian tap the man on the shoulder. The page jumped, swung around and stared at Julian then bowed. Julian nodded toward the far wall and gestured that the man follow him.

* * *

Julian walked with the page behind him. "Sorry if I startled you." He said as they reached the far wall. "I thought you might be getting a little bored listening to that conversation." He finished with a chuckle. The page looked back at the Queen and Ambassador, and then chuckled. "I'm Julian." He said holding out his hand.

"I'm Nat." The page replied shaking Julian's hand.

"Nice grip." Julian said massaging his hand.

"Sorry." Nat looked down at the floor.

"No problem." He looked at Nat. Nat looked back at Julian. "Where did you get that grip?"

"I work closely with some soldiers." Nat replied with a shrug.

"Cool." Julian said with a smile. "I'm the Princess's tutor." He saw the shock that quickly passed over the man's face and just as quickly it was masked.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Aren't you a little young?"

"I suppose so." Julian replied with a shrug. He glanced at Annaliese standing beside her mother.

"_He's in love with the Princess?" _Nat thought to himself as he looked from Julian to Annaliese. "How old are you?" He asked. He had to know. He noticed that Julian didn't even hear him. He cleared his throat bringing Julian's attention back to the conversation. "How old are you?" ha asked again

"About to be twenty-one." Nat noticed the red creeping up the other man's neck.

"How old is the Princess?"

"Nineteen." Julian saw Nat nod his head and smile. "If you don't mind, how old are you?"

"About to be twenty-two." Nat answered. Julian nodded his head. He was about to ask more but a slight movement caught his eye. He looked in the direction of the movement. Nat glanced in the same direction.

"Maybe we can talk some more later." Julian said. He saw the confusion on the other man's face. " Princess Annaliese is ready to leave." He whispered. Nat nodded and shrugged as Julian walked away. He watched as the Princess excused herself and took the tutor's arm with a bright smile.

"_She's in love with her tutor?"_ He shook his head to try to clear it. He would have to talk to Julian some more. He walked over to Bismark. He turned toward him.

"Nat, you will be sleeping in the servant quarters." Bismark informed Nat while wearing a deep and troubled frown. Nat smiled and nodded while holding back a chuckle.

"Very well." He said with a bow. Another servant came into the room and led Nat away.

* * *

**_I'm sorry if this first chapter appears a little lame. _****_Please let me know what you think._**

**_ Thank you for reading._**


	2. Chapter 2

**In **_**Anneliese's room**_

"So…" Annaliese began. She looked at Julian.

"So?"

"What did you find out about King Dominic?"

"Oh." He looked down at the ground.

"You didn't ask anything about him, did you?" She crossed her arms in front of her and glared at him.

"No." He said sheepishly. She rolled her eyes and laughed.

"What did you talk about?"

"Nothing much. Just getting acquainted."

"I see." She giggled. She went over and sat down at her desk. "You are dismissed, Julian." She said as she picked up her magnifying glass and a rock. "See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow, Annaliese." He replied with a slight bow then headed for the door.

* * *

_**Next day**_

Julian was walking around outside when he saw Nat talking to some of the soldiers. He leaned against the tree and watched as Nat seemed to be telling the men how to do something. The soldiers stared at him wide eyed. He then motioned for one of them to come with him and they walked a couple steps away from the others. Julian watched as Nat, having no weapon, faced off with the soldier, who had a sword. He watched in amazement as Nat had the soldier's sword and had him down in about thirty seconds. The other soldiers clapped and cheered as he helped the soldier up.

"_Remind me to never get him mad at me" _Julian said to himself. He then pushed off from the tree and started walking toward the group. "Nice job, Nat." He said as he approached.

"How long were you there?" Nat asked with a chuckle.

"Long enough to know I sure wouldn't want to fight you." He replied slapping the other man on the shoulder. The soldiers said they had to get back to work and headed in different directions. Nat looked around as if uncertain of what to do. "Would you like to come to the Princess's lesson?"

"Sure." Nat replied. They headed into the castle. "What do you teach?"

"Science."

"Science?" Nat looked totally befuddled.

"The Princess loves Science."

"I see." Nat said. They reached her door. Julian knocked. They waited for a reply.

"Come in." came the voice. Julian smiled as he pushed open the door.

"Princess, we have a visitor today." He said gesturing to Nat. Nat bowed and smiled at the Princess.

"Nice of you to come." She said with a smile. "What is your name?"

"Nat, Your Highness."

"Nice to meet you, Nat." She then turned to Julian. "I have finished analyzing the things you gave me yesterday…"

Nat looked around the room. It was huge. On one wall there was a bigger-than-life sized painting of the princess. Another thing he noticed was the room was very pink.

"…And this one is Coal also known as a black diamond."

"Very good, Annaliese." Julian praised.

"_He calls her by her first name?"_ Nat wondered. How close were the Princess and this tutor? He watched how the two communicated. After about two hours Julian informed Nat that it was time to leave. They both bowed to the Princess and left the room.

"Interesting lesson." Nat said as they walked down the hall.

"Well, like I said, the Princess loves science." They walked out onto the front steps. They stood there just looking over the land.

"Do you ride?" Nat asked.

"Yes"

"Have you ever ridden bareback?"

"Nope. Why?" Julian watched as Nat jogged down the stairs. He then followed. Nat was waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs.

"Do you run?" Nat asked with a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

"Sorta." Julian answered with uncertainty. "Why?"

Nat stretched a couple times then looked at Julian. "I'll race you to the barn."

"What?" Julian looked amazed. "Race to the barn?"

"Yeah." Nat said. They heard the front door open and they looked back to see who just exited. Bismark stood looking down at them, arms crossed, frown in place.

"Nat. What do you think you're doing?" He asked grumpily.

"I'm about to go riding, Sir."

"Very well." He glared at Julian then back at Nat. "Don't get into to trouble." With that he turned, entered the front door, then slammed it shut behind him. Julian looked at Nat.

"You were saying something about a race?" Julian said as he stretched.

"Yeah." Nat said as he turned back around. "To the barn."

"Ok." Julian looked around. "You say go."

"Ok. Ready?" Nat closed his eyes then opened them again. "Go!" Julian took off ahead of Nat, but Nat quickly overtook him. By the time they reached the barn they were both panting. Nat straightened up and looked at Julian. "Good race."

"Man… your… fast." Julian panted. Nat chuckled.

"Comes from running from the cook." Julian stared at Nat, and then started chuckling. Nat walked over to his horse and patted its neck. "Ready to go riding?" As he spoke he smoothly mounted his horse. Julian laughed.

"Let me get a saddle." He said as he headed for the tack room. A minute later he came back with a saddle, a blanket, and a bridle. He quickly saddled his horse and mounted up. They then headed out of the barn and toward the woods.

* * *

Annaliese watched from her balcony as Julian and Nat rounded the corner headed for the barn. She laughed as she watched them. She leaned on her balcony's railing and watched as they entered the barn. She wondered what they were talking about when she heard Julian laugh. A couple minutes later they came riding out of the barn at a slow trot. She stared at Nat's mount. Was he riding bareback? She watched as they disappeared from sight then turned back into her room to resume her studies.

* * *

They rode through the woods. Taking in everything around them.

"How long have you been the Princess's tutor?" Nat asked.

"About four years." Julian replied. Nat noticed that Julian's face lit up at the mention of the Princess.

"Do you enjoy tutoring her?" Nat knew it was a stupid question, but he had to see Julian's reaction.

"Yes. I do." Julian said with emphasis. "She's smart, intelligent,…"

"Pretty?" Nat inserted. Julian's face turned bright red. Nat chuckled. They rode in silence for a few minutes.

"Um… Princess Annaliese wanted me to ask you about King Dominic." Julian started. Nat looked at Julian.

"What about him?"

"What is he like?"

"I'm not really sure how to answer that." Nat replied nervously.

"Is he mean?"

"No, no, not in the slightest." Nat replied. Silence. "He loves music."

"Really?" Julian replied. "Does he play any instruments?"

"Three." Nat nodded his head. "He plays the dulcimer, the trumpet, and the piano."

"Wow." Julian's eyes were. "That's amazing." Nat nodded his head.

"What's King Dominic's family like?" Julian asked. He watched ad Nat's face fell a little.

"He has no family."

"Oh." Julian looked uncomfortable. "Sorry I asked."

"No problem." Nat said with a sad smile. "The Princess was probably wondering as well."

"True." Julian said with a shrug. "What is your family like?"

"They are dead as well."

"Um…" uncertain what to say next. "My family is dead also." Nat looked at Julian.

"I guess that's why we hit it off so well, eh?"

"Yeah. I guess." They rode in silence for a while. Each caught up in his own thoughts.

"Ready to head back?" Nat asked.

"Sure." They turned their mounts back toward the castle. They rode in silence till they reached the stables. They entered the stables and dismounted. Julian went to the tack room and brought back two brushes. He tossed one to Nat.

"That was the most fun I've had in a long time." Nat commented.

"Yeah, me too."

"We'll have to do it again sometime."

"Sure." Julian looked at Nat. "Do you miss your family?" Nat stopped brushing his horse and looked at Julian.

"I do." He began brushing again. "My mom died giving birth to my baby brother. He died soon after. I'm not sure how my dad died. I never got the full story."

"Oh." Julian began brushing his horse again. "My family died in a house fire. I was away at school at the time." Nat looked at Julian and they both smiled. "So when is King Dominic supposed to be here?" he asked to change the subject.

"In about two days." Nat replied. Julian nodded. They put their horses into the stalls. They walked to the barn door. "Well, I have thing I need to get done."

"See you later, Nat."

"See ya." Then they parted ways.

* * *

**I hope ya'll enjoy this chapter. Thanks for reading**


	3. Chapter 3

**HEY! TWO UPDATES IN LESS THAT 24 HOURS! ****AWESOME, RIGHT? **ENJOY!

* * *

**The Next Day**

Julian knocked on the Princess's door. There was no answer. He knocked again a little louder. Still no answer. He carefully pushed open the door and looked around while entering. Where was Annaliese? He saw Serafina, the princess's cat, modeling a beautiful "collar." He looked up and saw the princess looking over her balcony. He walked up behind her. They watched as two little girls giggled and picked some flower. Annaliese took a deep breath.

"So lucky. Free to do whatever they want." She then turned and looked at Julian. Then surprised him be asking, "What do you think King Dominic will be like?"

"I'm sure he'll be… suitable." He answered haltingly. Annaliese rolled her eyes.

"I know it's the right thing to marry him. But sometimes I wish…" She paused and looked away from Julian, blushing slightly.

"I hear he's a lover of music. He plays three different instruments: the dulcimer, the trumpet and the piano." Julian watched as Annaliese's shoulders fell. Then an idea struck him. "Annaliese…" She turned and looked at him. "You're going to need your cape."

"My cape? Why?" She watched as Julian went into her closet and came back with her blue cape. She walked over to him and he slipped it around her shoulders. "Can we take Serafina?" Julian looked at the cat.

"Sure." He replied with a shrug. He then led her down stairs. They didn't notice as they passed by Nat.

"_I wonder what they are doing." _He wondered as he followed them. He watched as Julian helped the Princess into a carriage. Julian then got in beside her, then and they headed off. _"Should I follow them?"_ He went to get his horse when he heard the stomping of feet behind him. _"So much for that idea."_ He said to himself as Bismark walked up beside him.

* * *

Julian watched as Annliese took in the scenes around her. He looked behind them and saw Serafina tiptoeing around puddles and trying to avoid the dirt. They had talked and laughed as they walked. Annaliese then sniffed the air.

"What's that smell?"

"I'll be right back." He said as he headed toward the smell. He stood in line for about thirty minutes. He then returned to the spot where he had left Annaliese. He looked around. Where did she go? He then heard the sound of girlish giggles. He followed the sound. He saw Annaliese and walked over to her.

"Here you are, Your Highness." The girls look at him. Shocked, he dropped the cups that were in his hands. He looked back and forth between the girls. Closed his eyes and opened them again. The girls giggled. "It's uncanny."

"Isn't it crazy?" Annaliese asked. "We could easily be mistaken for sisters."

"Or for each other." The other girl commented. Julian looked at the other girl.

"You are?"

"I'm Ericka, Sir." She replied with a curtsy. Julian held up his hand.

"Just call me Julian." Ericka nodded her head. About that time they heard the barking of a dog they turned just in time to see Serafina arch her back and take off with a black blur chasing her.

"Serafina!" Annaliese called

Then Julian noticed another bark.

"_Not another dog."_ Looked down and only saw another cat. The cat gave another bark and took off.

"Wolfie!" Ericka called. Before Julian could stop them the girls took off running after the animals. Julian ran back to the carriage and hopped in. when he finally found the girls they were both holding their cats, who were obviously entranced with each other.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, but it's time we be getting back." Julian said as he stepped out of the carriage. Annaliese looked at Ericka.

"You must come and sing at the palace. I'll send someone for you." She said as she climbed into the carriage.

"I'll be at Madam Carp's." Ericka replied.

"Goodbye!"

"Bye." Ericka waved as she watched them roll away." Come on, Wolfie" She said as she started to walk away. "Wolfie?" She looked in the direction he cat was looking, then giggled. "Cat got your tongue? Come on." Wolfie with one last glance up the road, then reluctantly followed his master.

* * *

"Nice girl." Julian commented.

"Yes she is."

"What's with her cat?"

"What about her cat?"

"Was I hearing things or did her cat bark?" Annaliese giggled.

"As Ericka says 'He's got a style all his own.'" They both laughed at that. "She's a wonderful singer."

"Really?"

"Yes." She looked at Julian and smiled.

"Did you have a good day today?"

"Yes, wonderful." She replied "Thank you." They rode the rest of the way home in silence. It was almost suppertime when they pulled into the castle yard. Nat watched as they pulled up in front of the castle door. Julian got out and then helped Annaliese out. Then the carriage pulled off. He watched as they entered the Castle together.

"I wonder where they went." He asked out loud. He then entered the castle and headed for the servant's dining room.

Julian escorted Annaliese to her bedroom door. She turned and smiled at him.

"Thank you again, Julian" She looked down at the floor then back at him. "For everything." He knew she was thinking of her upcoming wedding. He bowed.

"You're very welcome Annaliese." With that he turned and left.

* * *

**Early the next day**

Julian got up from his desk to answer the door. He wondered who would be bothering him at this hour. He looked at the clock. Only 7:30. He opened the door to see the snakelike man, Preminger, standing outside his door.

"The Queen has called for you to come." Preminger said then headed off. Confused Julian hurried after him. They came to the throne room to see a very distraught Queen, an angry Ambassador, and a crestfallen Nat.

"What happened?" He asked.

"Julian, Annaliese has run away." Queen Genevieve cried.

"What?"

"We must go after her. She could be hurt." The queen worried.

"I'll send out search parties at once." Preminger said.

"It doesn't make sense. Why would she run away?"

"Read this for yourself." Julian took a piece of paper that Preminger held out to him. The scent immediately caught his attention.

"Where did you find this?"

"On the Princess's desk." Preminger taunted. Julian glowered at Preminger.

"Perhaps I can help you look for her." Preminger grabbed the note from Julian.

"Why don't you stick to the books, that will be fine." He said as he left the room.

"Lilac?" He said confused, "She never scented her stationary with lilac. It was always rose." He watched as Nat led Ambassador Bismark out the door. He looked at the Queen and started to head out.

"Julian." He turned and looked at the Queen. "You know Annaliese. You know where she would go. Please find her and tell her that if she doesn't return then King Dominic will leave and the kingdom will be ruined." She looked at him. "Do you understand?"

"Yes, Ma'am." He bowed then left the room. He went and sat on the front steps. What to do now? He knew she didn't run away. Nat came and sat beside Julian.

"You should hear Ambassador Bismark." Nat chuckled.

"Will King Dominic really not come if Annaliese doesn't return?"

"Bismark will report that the Princess ran away from her rightful duty." Nat looked up at the sky. "Bismark will call off the wedding. Then inform King Dominic of the change of plans."

"Oh." Julian said dejectedly.

"You miss her, don't you?" Nat asked. Julian nodded his head.

"I hope she's safe."

"Me too." Nat replied. "At least for the Queen's sake." They sat there quietly. "It's a pity she doesn't have a sister." Julian jumped to his feet.

"I have to go!" he shouted as he ran down the stairs. Confused, Nat watched as Julian jump into the carriage that just rolled into the yard. Then they were off.

"I wonder what that was about." Nat said as he went back inside.

* * *

** snkaht rof gnidaer. ;)**


	4. Chapter 4

_**Later that day.**_

"You need to give them time to find the Princess, Bismark." Nat argued. Bismark rolled his eyes.

"If the Princess hadn't run away then we wouldn't be in this predicament." He replied angrily.

"But less than twelve hours?"

"If she doesn't return, or they haven't found her, then the wedding s off!" Bismark shouted.

"But…" Nat began but Bismark interrupted.

"I will give the orders around here. For now anyways." Bismark glared at Nat. "At the moment. I am your superior. I will tell you what to do." Nat stared at Bismark then marched out the door.

* * *

_**6:00pm.**_

Nat was standing behind Bismark when the clock chimed. He watched as Queen Genevieve's shoulders dropped with each chime. Bismark pulled a watch out of his pocket, flipped it open, and stared at it.

"Well, then." Bismark said as he slapped the watch closed. "The Princess has not returned, so, the wedding to King Dominic is cancelled." Nat saw a tear slip from the queen's eye. Preminger chuckled. They all jump when the doors swung open to reveal Julian.

"Your Majesty…" He looked at them then back at the door. "…may I present, Princess Annaliese"

"Darling?" The Queen said hopefully. They all stared as the Princess entered the room. She glanced around quickly. Nat watched as she stiffly walked forward.

"_There's something not right here." _He thought. She started to walk pass him when she fell. He jumped forward to help her up, but she was already on her feet. She looked at him and smiled then continued forward.

"Oh, where have you been?" Queen Genevieve stepped forward to give her daughter a hug.

"I am sorry Mother. I should not have ran away." Annaliese replied

"_That's it." _Nat said to himself _"She acts too stiff. Uncertain." _He continued to watch when he saw Julian walk behind the queen and take her spectacles. Preminger's had a shocked look on his face.

"Promise me you will never do it again." The queen told her daughter.

"I still insist the wedding be cancelled." Bismark commented. Nat cleared his throat. He looked at Bismark. Bismark took a deep breath and rolled his eyes. ""But an agreement is an agreement. The wedding is back on! The King is due tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Annaliese questioned. The uncertainty never leaving her eyes.

"And then a few short days until the wedding" The queen announced. Nat watched as the princess's face fell a little. "Um… Has anyone seen my spectacles?" Nat looked at Julian. But he just shook his head like everyone else. They all watched Preminger with a question in their eyes as he started to leave the room.

"I'll be off to see to the… argh… arrangements." Then he stalked out. Julian shot the princess a peculiar look then headed toward the door. Nat saw a cat jump in front of Preminger in an attempt to stop him. Preminger kicked him away and continued to stalk out of the room. The cat looked like it was snarling until Julian bent down and patted the cat on the head. The cat wagged its tail and panted happily. Nat continued to watch, confused.

"Umm, Julian?" they all turned their attention back to the Queen. "We want to hear about how you found Annaliese." Julian stared at them for a moment. He looked back at the door then back at them.

"As you wish, Your Highness." He said with a bow. Nat noticed the uncertainty, confusion, and hesitation in Julian's face. They all stared at him expectantly.

"Umm…" He looked at the floor then at the queen. "I was walking back through the woods. I saw her umm…" He looked at the Princess and smiled. "…picking some wild flowers. I told her what would happen when she didn't return, so she agreed to come back with me." He finished hurriedly. _"That is the stupidest story I have ever made up." _He kicked himself mentally. Nat saw the torture on the younger man's face.

"Well, glad you found her." Nat said cheerfully. Everyone agreed with him. Julian took a deep breath and let it back out.

"Julian, you are dismissed." The queen said.

"Um… I would like to go to my room please." Annaliese said.

"Very well, Darling." The queen gave her daughter another hug. Julian came up and the princess took his arm. He smiled at her, but Nat noticed it wasn't that "special" smile. They all watched as they left the room.

* * *

"Thank you so much for doing this." Julian said to Ericka.

"No problem." She replied. "I see what you meant about the queen's advisor." Ericka shivered. "He's creepy."

"I'll be heading out as soon as you get to your room." He explained. "I'm hoping I'll find something that will lead me to the princess."

"Good luck." Ericka said with a smile. Then she look of alarm crossed her face. "When should you be back?"

"Hopefully late tonight." He said reassuringly. "If not. Then by tomorrow morning."

"Will you be here when the King comes?" Julian looked at her with surprise. He then understood her question.

"I promise I'll be here." He patted her hand. They reached the room.

"Good night, Julian. Have a safe night."

"Good night, Annaliese." He said with a wink. She giggled as she watched him walk away.

She walked over to the bed and plopped down, throwing the wig on the pillow. Wolfie jumped up beside her. "He is head over heels in love with Annaliese." She said as she patted Wolfie's head. He barked and wagged his tail happily. She walked over to the balcony and looked down at the garden. "I'm going down to the garden." She looked at her cat. "Want to come?" Wolfie looked up at her then curled up on one of the pillows. "Fine. I'll see you when I get back." She then left the room.

* * *

Nat watched the princess go outside. _"I wonder where she's going." _He decided to see what she was up too. He followed her to the garden. She walked around touching and smelling the flowers. Nat carefully followed her. He was walking behind some rose bushes when his foot landed on a dead branch that gave a loud crack. Annaliese spun around and stared in his direction.

"Who's there?" She looked hard at where the sound came from. Nat held his breath, not daring to move. Next thing he knew something hard struck him on the head.

"Ouch!" He grunted

"I know you're back there. Now come out." She demanded. Nat slowly straightened up. "Who are you?" She asked. She was holding a rock about the size of a baseball. Nat tensed.

"I'm Nat." He quickly replied. She stared at him hard. "I'm the page that came with the Ambassador."

"Oh, right." She looked embarrassed. "I'm so sorry." She dropped the rock she was holding. Nat relaxed. A little.

"It's ok." He said smiling. He carefully felt the back of his head. A nice bump was starting to form. He looked up and was she was staring at him. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"You're forgiven." She said smiling at him. He walked to her side. "Do you like gardens?" she asked.

"I love gardens." Nat replied. "You?"

"Oh, yes." She said with passion. "I love the blue roses the best."

"Oh?" Nat replied with a smile. "I would have thought you liked the pink roses more." She looked at him in suprise.

"Somethings are not as thet seem." She siad. They both laughed. They continued to walk through the garden. As darkness started to fall they headed back inside. Nat walked her to her door.

"Good night, Nat" She said with a big smile. "Thank you for the enjoyable conversation." Nat nodded his head and smiled.

"It was most enjoyable." He said with a bow. She turned to enter her room. "Um… Your Highness?"

"Yes?"

"Why did you run away?" He saw the surprise and shock mix on her face.

"I… um…" She thought hard. Then she remembered the conversation she had had with Annaliese. Then she continued in a whisper. "I didn't want to marry a complete stranger." Nat looked at her then nodded his head.

"Good night, Your Highness." With that he turned and left. Then she entered the room.

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**I want to thank everyone who has read an reviewed on this story. I hope ya'll have enjoyed it thus far. Thanks again for reading**


	5. Chapter 5

**sorry about the long update wait. so here's the next chapter. ENJOY.**

* * *

Erika woke up to the sun streaming through the window. She sat up and looked around. "I thought I was dreaming. But I'm not." There was a knock on the door. Wolfie started barking. "Shh. We need to act like we like here." She said in a whisper as she put on the blonde wig Julian had given her the day before. "Umm… Come in." She said. A maid entered carrying a larger tray.

"I thought I heard a dog, Your Highness." She said as she set down the tray. "Shall I call the royal dog catcher?"

"No, no dog." Erika replied with a nervous chuckle and a quick glance at Wolfie. "Everything is fine."

"Your breakfast. Your Highness."

"In bed?!" Erika asked, amazed.

"As always" The maid replied.

"Oh, of course." Erika said nervously. She then looked down at the tray. "Look at all this food. Want some?"

"Oh, I couldn't, Your Highness." The maid said with uncertainty in her voice.

"But there's enough to feed an army!" Erika gushed. She picked up a biscuit from the tray. "Here" The maid took it.

"Thank you, Your Highness." The maid said flustered. She watched as the princess tasted a little bit of everything. "Umm, I'll draw your bath. Would you like bubbles, mineral salts, or lavender oil?"

"Everything!" Erika giggled throwing her hands in the air. The maid giggled as she walked away.

* * *

**Outside in the barn**

"Nat! You are a fool!" Bismark shouted.

"No. I'm being honest." Nat answered calmly. He leaned against one of the barn walls

"No. You're acting like a full-blown idiot!"

"I'll have to tell her sometime."

"No, you don't." Bismark paced back and forth in front of the younger man. "I'll just announce you as King Dominic and then that is all she will need know." Dominic, aka. Nat, rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, sure. I'll be starting a relationship with deception."

"No. You'll be ending a relationship if you tell her." Bismark stopped pacing and crossed his arms.

"If I tell her the truth, I'm sure she'll understand."

"No she won't."

"What girl wants to marry a liar?"

"If you don't tell her, she won't know." Bismark stalked toward the barn door with Dominic following him. When they got inside they stood at the base of the stairs. "You're going to just tell her?" Bismark glowered at Dominic.

"Yes. I didn't want to marry a stranger any more than she did." He said as he headed up the stairs.

"That boy has a lot to learn." Bismark mumbled to himself. "I'd better go pack."

* * *

Dominic reached the top of the stairs. He stopped and took a deep breath. "Here it goes." He went to her door and knocked. He heard singing. He gently pushed the door open "Princess Annaliese?" He stood there listening for a while. _"Wow. She sounds like an angel. But what's with the 'bow wow being the cat's meow'?"_ He listened till she finished her song the quietly closed the door and left.

* * *

Erika was kneeling on the floor playing with Wolfie when she looked at the clock "Whoops. Julian will be here any minute and I'm not dressed yet." She ran to the closet, the pink robe she wore fluttering around her feet. "What to wear? What to wear?" She asked herself. She looked at all the dresses in the closet. "How does Annaliese do it?" She chose one that was a light shade of periwinkle. "This one is it." She said spinning around. "What do you think Wolfie?" He wagged his tail and gave a little yip. She quickly dressed and sat down at the vanity and started brushing her hair. There was a knock on the door. "One minute!" she shouted frantically. She grabbed the blonde wig and quickly covered her brown hair. "Come in." The maid from earlier entered the room.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes. I am fine."

"The Queen sent me to inform you that the king is here." Then in a conspiring voice. "You must nervous about meeting the king. Your future husband!" She finished with a squeal. She watched as the princess's face paled.

"Umm… Yeah… umm… Yes." She stammered. The maid gave her a sympathetic smile.. "Thank you." Erika replied weakly. She sank down in a chair. The maid watched her with concern. "Where is Julian?" There was a hopeful look in her eyes.

"Nobody has seen him since he brought you back yesterday."

"Ok." Erika took a deep breath. "You are dismissed." She watched as the maid left the room. "I wonder where Julian is." She looked back in the mirror. "There is no way I can do this without him." She looked at Wolfie. "He promised he would be back in time. Maybe he's found Annaliese and is on his way back." She looked in the mirror at her reflection. She removed the blonde wig and continued to brush her brown hair.

* * *

**A couple hours later.**

Erika paced back and forth. Any minute now she would have to go meet King Dominic. "Where is Julian? Why isn't he here?" Her door opened and in walked Preminger.

"Princess." He said with an obviously plastered smile. Wolfie jumped from his perch on the bed and growled at Preminger.

"Ahh!" Preminger screamed recognizing the cat from yesterday. "What's he doing here?"

"He belongs to me." Erika answered heatedly.

"Oh. A thousand pardons, Ma' Lady." He looked around. "Where's the other on?"

"Umm…" Erika looked around. "She's around here… somewhere."

"I see. It's so rare that you're apart." Preminger replied. _"Something is wrong here."_ He thought. "The Queen has sent me to escort you to meet the king." He offered his arm to Annaliese. She looked around.

"Thank you." She said as she took his arm. They left the room with Wolfie growling after them.

* * *

"I don't understand?" Queen Genevieve questioned.

"I wasn't… I mean, I didn't… I wanted to see how she acted without her worrying about, well, umm, well, everything." Dominic finished lamely. Genevieve stared at him with an unreadable expression.

"Told you we shouldn't have told." Bismark mumbled. Dominic lanced him with a sharp glare. When he looked back at the queen she had stood and making her way toward him with a frown on her face. Dominic felt sweat run down the back of his neck.

"You are aware that there as numerous princes in this world that I could have chosen."

"Yes, Ma'am."

"None of them would have thought to do what you have done."

"I know, Ma'am."

"They would have strutted in here, disrupting my life. Not caring a thing about my daughter's feelings." She then smiled at him. "Thank you. Would you like me to tell her?"

"No. Please, Ma'am. I would like to tell her."

"And I'm sorry about my daughter's little delay in the wedding plans. But that is al sorted out now."

"I thank you for your understanding, Your Highness." He said with a smile and a bow. Then the doors busted open.

"May I announce… Princess Annaliese." Preminger announced. Annaliese walked through the doors

"Hello, Darling. This is King Dominic." The Queen announced. Dominic was walking toward Annaliese. "He has something very important he wants to tell you." She then looked around. "Where are my spectacles?" The young people stopped a couple feet from each other.

"A pleasure to meet you." Dominic said with a bow.

"Umm…" Erika found herself staring into those beautiful blue eyes. Then she remembered what she was supposed to do. "The honor is mine, King Dominic." She said with a curtsy. She praised herself for not falling over.

"Just call me Dominic." He said as he walked closer to her. Something looked familiar about him.

"Call me Eri… I mean Annaliese. Princess Annaliese." She said nervously. "That's my name." She reached up to push a piece of hair out of her face. Dominic looked at her _"Was that brown…" _Barking caught his attention. He looked down to see a cat whining and barking._ "That explains the 'bow wow being the cat's meow'." _He bent down and patted the cat's head. Surprisingly the cat wagged its tail happily.

"I hope his bark is bigger than his bite." He said jokingly. She shared the humor. He stood up and looked at her with a hopeful look on his face. "I hope you understand why I disguised myself as a page." He looked around the room. Realization dawned on Erika's face. _"He's Nat?" _He then continued"I wanted to meet you without all this formality." He looked back at her. "I wanted to get to know the real you."

"The real me." She said nervously. _"Where is the real Princess?"_ She asked herself.

"King Dominic, would you do us the honor and play something for us? I know you love music." Genevieve asked.

"You do?" Erika asked, amazed. Dominic turned to her.

"I will. **If** the princess agrees to sing with me." HE offered his hand.

"Sing with you…" She looked at him. "No I couldn't." She said embarrassed.

"Something tells me you have a wonderful voice." She placed her hand in his and he led her to the piano.

"_Please let it be a song I know."_ She begged inwardly. Dominic sat down and began to play. She began to sing, and then he began to sing with her.

"_Annaliese is __**SO **__lucky." _ She thought. _"He loves music, he sings, and who knows what else. He is so perfect. Well, He would be perfect if she wasn't in love with Julian"_

* * *

**I hope ya'll enjoyed this chapter. Thanks 4 reading.**


	6. Chapter 52

**hi everyone! I thought I should go and kinda give a little insight of what's happening to Julian. This is between the time he gets to the cabin and Erika meets Dominic Enjoy**

* * *

**The night before.**

Julian was riding through the woods. He was looking for any sign of the princess or Preminger. Earlier he had picked up a needle from on of the tree in the western forest. Here he was and he was nothing. His horse whinnied and somewhere in the distance another answered.

"Let's go boy." He whispered. They moved forward and then in a clearing was a small cottage with boarded up windows.. In front was a tall black horse, and a old draft horse hooked to a wagon. There was shouting coming from the cabin. Julian very quietly and quickly sneaked to the side of the cabin.

"I know how the princess escaped you fools." Preminger was talking to two identical looking men, except one had brown hair and the other had blonde. Julian looked closer was the blonde wearing makeup?

"_So Annaliese had been here. But where is she now?" _Julian thought. He stayed hoping they would say something that would tell him where she was.

"But why didn't she tell the queen she had been captured." Julian watched as Preminger paced back and forth. "I'll have to solve this princess-puzzle if I am to become king."

"King? Preminger?" Julian wondered as he leaned on one of the boards covering the window. The board fell making and awful racket. Julian backed away from the window hoping that no one would come. He heard the front door open and Preminger came from around the side.

"Looking for something, Julian?" HE smirked

"How would you be king?" Julian asked, then the next thing he knew something was thrown over his head.

"You're the tutor. You figure it out." He heard Preminger say before he knew nothing more.

* * *

His head was throbbing when he woke up He looked around. Where was he? He tried to move but he was tied to something. It was too dark to figure it out. He tried to loosen the ropes that held him, but they wouldn't budge. He heard footsteps coming then a door opened and in walked Preminger and his two cohorts, both holding lanterns.

"I want to know how you found the princess." Preminger demanded.

"What do you mean?" Julian snarled.

"You found Princess Annaliese yesterday, remember? I want to know where you found her." Preminger crossed his arms and glared at Julian.

"I found her wandering through the town. Then I took her home." Julian explained.

"Hmm…" Preminger walked back and forth, the blonde guy followed his every move. Julian glanced around and then recognized where he was. He was in the Royal Mine.

"Why did you bring me here?"

"It was the only place to bring you where you wouldn't escape." The blonde said with a stupid laugh.

"Shut up, Nick!" The brown said as he punced the other guy.

"Ow.".

"Julian, I will be back soon." Preminger said as he left the room. "I'll have the princess one way or another."

"Bye bye." Nick said as they left the room.

"Great." Julian huffed. He had to get out of there and help Erika. He worked the ropes till the bit into his wrists. His legs had long sense fallen asleep. He had to live. He had to.

Nick and Nack, as he discovered who the other guy was, brought him a little water once in a while. But it was barely enough to give him the strength he needed to try to escape. Nick came through the door and Nack was right behind him.

"Can I ask you guys someing?"

"Yes" Nick said

"No." Nack said at the same time.

"What time is it?"

"Um… about 10 in the morning." Nick replied.

"Thank you." Julian sipped from the small cup Nick held in front of him. Then they left.

"I hope things work out for Erika." He leaned against the pole he was tied to. "I'm sorry I'm not there." Then he thought of Nat. "Please keep her safe. Please."


End file.
